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Reece Haettich has a look at strength training this month … from the sidelines

I decided for various reasons last year to supplant my triathlon desires for that of strictly cycling, not cycling to race, but primarily as a means of weight control.
Like a recovering addict I concluded the best way to not be sucked back into the world of triathlon was total abstinence from the swim, bike, and run scene. The swim, as my least favorite of the three sports, was easy to avoid. I like to run, but at 225 lbs, I didn’t miss it. As I said, I did continue to bike and eventually found myself dabbling in that "cultish" group that call themselves roadies and we all know that’s about as far away from triathlon as you can get.

I must admit that I stayed strong in the beginning, avoiding race calendars, dodging my tri-friends and eschewing all race results pages on the internet. However, like any desire you try to suppress, it eventually has a way of knocking at your door until you answer. I finally succumbed when the Ford Ironman World Championship 70.3 came to town.

However, this created another situation I wasn’t familiar with: being a spectator. I countered my angst with the anticipation of a world class event being held in my own backyard.

I also new this would be a great chance for me to bump into Ironman.com editor Kevin Mackinnon.

I went out to visit the race site on Friday and began to realize the enormity of the event’s infrastructure. As competitors we typically encounter the polished product on race day and don’t put much thought into event set-up. As I walked around I was surrounded by multiple mobile TV units and countless volunteers including: police, paramedics, communications specialists, along with people watching the bike transition and life guards … to mention just a few. By Friday this pre-race setup resembled the floor activity of the NY Stock Exchange – on Saturday the investment paid huge dividends.

I ultimately ran into Kevin on Friday as he sat with others discussing how they thought Saturday’s race would shake out amongst the field of pro men and women. I quickly realized this guy moves a thousand miles per hour and is pulled in equally as many directions. He graciously took the time to speak with me for a few short moments before he got back to business. I left their makeshift headquarters and headed down to the event landscape. I ran into a lot of familiar faces and caught up on old times as I traveled through the transition area.

Even as a spectator I still found myself getting up at 5 AM on Saturday to witness some of the pre-race energy. I also wanted to nab some prime viewing real estate since they expected over 15,000 spectators. The early November day was perfect for racing; no wind, 55 degree air temperatures and high cloud cover.

After the swim I opted to move to the nearby Memorial Causeway which would allow me to view the bike and run segments at the height of "pain" for the participating competitors as they crossed the bridge twice on the bike and four times during the run. From the bridge it was easy to keep track of the race leaders since they were bird-dogged by helicopters throughout the day. The bridge was also the perfect spot to catch a glimpse of the almost 1800 age groupers creating their own story on that day. Young, old and the physically challenged all made their way over that causeway and I began to get my "fix" and realize that I really missed this sport.

I cheered them on as they passed, remembering the times I competed and heard the voices of those I did not know encouraging me to "keep going" and saying things like "looking strong or "keep it up". As I made my way back to the Start/Finish line to see where the pros were going to place, it was easy to sense the excitement of the crowd as the competitors left and entered transition. Their cheers and the relentless efforts of all those involved will make this a popular destination for years to come.

I now have a whole new perspective on what it takes to make these events first class. So hats off Steve McFessel, Philip Lahaye and all the others who devoted their time to this and other events under the Ironman umbrella. I look forward to repaying you the only way I know how; by competing.

See ya next year!

Reece Haettich is an elite sprint-distance triathlete, master personal trainer, conditioning coach, co-creator of The Next Level, Strength Training for Endurance Athletes DVD and a very bad spectator. To find out more about Reece, visit www.thenextleveldvd.com or contact him directly at .